The Holy Post

According to David Fitch, the contemporary church has become an "enemy-making machine" that thrives by identifying and amplifying threats. He talks with Skye about his new book, "The Church of Us vs Them," how anger has come to dominate our communities, and the practices that can help us break this pattern. Also this week, Phil shares the unlikely movement of non-religious millennials moving into convents with nuns. That leads to a discussion about Disney-themed gay weddings, babies and bath water, and new research that says millennials are more "spiritual" than older Americans. Plus, scientists use stem cells to grow a nose on a woman's spine.

Mike Erre is back for the second part of his conversation with Skye on the future of the church in America. This time they talk about the difference between "Cold War" Christianity and "Game of Thrones" Christianity. Plus, why does it feel like everything in the culture—including faith and politics—is being pushed to the extremes? What happened to the middle ground and can it be recovered? Also this week, the Ark Encounter amusement park is suing its insurance provider for not covering flood damage. Gay characters are becoming more common on children's television which causes Phil to revisit Jerry Falwell's crusade against Tinky Winky—the ambiguously gay Telletubbie. Plus, Beth Moore is on a mission to shine a light on the sexism and misogyny within the Southern Baptist Convention, but is there more than complementarian theology behind the criticism she's now receiving?

Friend of the show, Mike Erre (aka, the bald Buckeye with a brain), celebrated the 200th episode of his show—the Vox Podcast—by inviting Skye to join him for a conversation about the future of the church in America. Will we lose tax-exempt status? Will progressive social and sexual views win? And how did the Cold War give us modern evangelicalism? Also this week, is Bill Gates flushing away his fortune by trying to reinvent the toilet? An 80-year Harvard study has finally discovered the key to happiness, but a "happiness expert" in the U.K. disagrees and says we should all stop having children. Plus, why are religious couples more sexually satisfied?

In a number of recent commencement speeches at Christian colleges, Vice President Mike Pence has been warning graduates about the hostility of our culture toward Christians. Historian John Fea is back to talk about what Pence gets right, and what he gets wrong, about the persecution of evangelicals in the U.S. Plus, Fea shares his theory about why regular church attendees are the most likely to still support Trump. Also this week, an evangelical activist is guilty of "astroturfing" Muslims. Airports try to ban Chick-Fil-A and Hollywood studios boycott states passing abortion restrictions. And is conservative politics killing white churches?

Guns kill an average of 105 Americans every day. Shane Claiborne is on a mission to change that with a converted school bus and a forge. He is literally beating guns into gardening tools & challenging our culture's addiction to violence in the process. He talks with Skye about the legal and spiritual problem we're facing. Also this week... Experts warned Netflix its series "13 Reasons Why" would cause an increase in teen suicide. That's exactly what happened but Netflix doesn't seem to care. Have the Harry Potter books replaced the Bible as Millennials' foundational text? And why are more Americans impervious to facts?

Are yoga pants causing an increase in liposuction? Phil links the popularity of tight-fitting "athleisure" clothing to rising insecurity about one's physical appearance. Televangelists are selling gold Trump prayer coins featuring the President and King Cyrus. And the crew talks about the new strict abortion laws in Alabama and Georgia. Skye explains why overturning Roe v. Wade won't solve the issue. And has tribal politics made a common-sense compromise on the issue impossible? Plus, Phil's VeggieTales partner and voice of Larry the Cucumber, Mike Nawrocki, talks about his newest project. `

Skye often tries to bring economics into the show's theological discussions. This week his dream comes true with guests Brian Fikkert (an economist) and Kelly Kapic (a theologian), co-authors of "Becoming Whole." They say our ideas about God's mission are too entangled with Western materialism on the one hand, and not material enough on the other. This conversation will really challenge your assumptions. Also this week, the IRS says the Satanic Temple is a legitimate religion, The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue now has a model in a burka and hijab, and should we be happy or worried about Kanye West talking a lot about Jesus and leading "Sunday Service" concerts?

Jesus told us to "not judge," but what does that really mean? In a special segment called "Christian Asks..." normally only available to Holy Post's Patreon supporters, Skye and Christian discuss what it means to live with discernment but not judgment in a pluralistic culture. While talking about capital punishment, gay marriage, and immigration, they unpack why fundamentalism on both the right and left is so appealing, and why we must avoid both. Also this week—a new parody movie called "Faith-Based" has the crew asking what makes something "faith-based"? And does overlooking Trump's immorality while condemning Bill Clinton's make white evangelicals hypocritical Christians or faithful Republicans?

It's a potpourri week on the podcast. Phil sees evidence of God in self-sacrificing insects. Former congresswoman Michelle Bachman calls Trump "highly biblical" and "godly." Skye would like to reverse engineer what Bible she's reading. Scientists find a link between fundamentalism and brain damage. Plus, Drew Dyck is back to discuss why democracy is failing everywhere and the magical thinking behind multi-level marketing.

Is it okay for a pastor to wear $5,000 shoes? How about $500 sneakers? What if they were a gift? What if the pastor serves an affluent, brand-savvy community? Phil and Skye engage the "PreachersNSneakers" debate and unpack the cultural nuances. A new survey finds most people believe in God, but church involvement is rapidly declining. The reasons are complex, but Skye says the preaching-focused structure of most churches needs to be rethought in the Internet Age. Also this week, a Florida "saint" wants to destroy the world with his turtle army.